"Hey, Kocho, are you listening?"
Kaien's loud voice pulled Shinobu Kocho back from her memories.
"Ah, sorry." Shinobu snapped back to reality and gave a slight nod. "Vice Captain Kaien... Mr. Kaien, you don't have to keep bringing that up. Seeing you so active now is the greatest thanks I could ask for."
"Haha, I suppose so! Still, I never want to taste that 'lifesaving medicine' ever again in my life..."
Kaien shuddered, seemingly still traumatized. "That feeling... it was like tens of thousands of ants dancing inside my body. It was numb, itchy, and hurt like hell."
Seeing him like this, Shinobu covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Oh, right, Kocho! Once these two kids finish their enrollment procedures, you definitely have to come over to my place for a meal!" Kaien offered a hearty invitation. "That girl Kukaku has been wanting to invite you over for ages!"
"If time permits, I will bring them along," Shinobu agreed politely.
The melodious bell of the Shin'o Academy chimed.
Kaien led his younger brother inside. Before leaving, he gave Hinaki and Nichika a thumbs-up. "Good luck, girls! I'll be waiting for you to graduate at the Thirteenth Division!"
"Honestly, Mr. Kaien, are you trying to poach them right in front of me?"
"Haha! Sorry, sorry!"
Watching Kaien's energetic back, Shinobu shook her head helplessly.
She didn't know what kind of changes she had unknowingly brought about, nor did she know how much of an impact it would have on this world.
She was just a healer who saved lives, stepping in to save those who needed saving when the time came.
"Alright, let's head inside too." She took the two children by the hand and walked through the gates of the Shin'o Academy.
Later.
Standing before the gates of the Shin'o Academy, Kaien Shiba watched with his own eyes as his somewhat awkward younger brother, Ganju Shiba, was "escorted" into the school building by two Thirteenth Division members, cursing the whole way but utterly helpless to resist.
"Phew... Finally managed to stuff that brat inside." Kaien clapped his hands and let out a sigh of relief to himself.
Although he always put on a hearty, carefree front around others, as the eldest son of the main Shiba family, the burden on his shoulders was far heavier than outsiders could see.
"Well then, time to head back to the squad and deal with that mountain of paperwork. With Captain Ukitake's health, he's probably coughing up blood again." Kaien smiled bitterly and shook his head.
He turned around, transforming into a blur as he sprinted toward the Thirteenth Division barracks.
However, the moment Kaien stepped into the courtyard of the Thirteenth Division barracks, the smile on his face instantly froze.
The atmosphere was wrong.
Usually, thanks to Jushiro Ukitake's gentle nature, the Thirteenth Division was quite relaxed, even a bit undisciplined.
But right now, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The squad members standing on both sides of the courtyard had their chests puffed out and their heads held high, staring straight ahead.
They gripped the hilts of their Zanpakuto tightly, the beads of sweat on their foreheads clearly visible in the sunlight.
"What's going on? Why is everyone practicing their standing posture here?"
Kaien scratched his head. Confused, he pulled a familiar seated officer aside and lowered his voice to ask, "Why do you all look like you've seen a ghost?"
"Oh my! Vice Captain Kaien... you can't just say things like that! The Head Captain is inside! Right in the main hall!" The seated officer was pale, his voice trembling as he whispered into Kaien's ear.
"The old man is here?" Kaien's pupils shrank.
Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
The man known as the pillar of the Gotei 13. Unless something monumental had happened, he would never personally condescend to visit the Thirteenth Division barracks.
Knowing this was definitely no routine inspection, Kaien hurriedly straightened his slightly disheveled Shihakusho.
With a heart full of apprehension, he pushed open the wooden doors of the Thirteenth Division's reception room.
A pressure as heavy as a mountain instantly washed over him, making his Spiritual Pressure feel a hint of suffocation.
The sight inside made Kaien Shiba's heart skip a beat.
In the seat of honor sat Head Captain Genryusai Yamamoto, leaning on his cane with his eyes closed in rest.
But seated on either side were several figures he hadn't expected.
One was the current head of the Kuchiki family and Captain of the Sixth Division, Byakuya Kuchiki.
He still wore that same icy expression, his Kenseikan and silver-white windflower scarf exuding an untouchable nobility in the light.
Beside Byakuya sat a young boy who looked quite young, even showing a bit of shyness and unease—Yushiro Shihoin.
He was the younger brother who had taken over as the head of the Shihoin family in a time of crisis after his older sister Yoruichi fled.
Yushiro sat rigidly, trying his best to maintain the dignity of the head of the Tenshiheisoban in such a setting.
Opposite them was an elderly man with a frail appearance but sinister eyes.
Kaien recognized the family crest on his garments. It belonged to the head of the Four Noble Families, the Tsunayashiro family, who supposedly controlled all history and intelligence in the Soul Society.
"Kaien Shiba, you are late."
Head Captain Yamamoto slowly opened his eyes. The sharp gleam that escaped in that instant felt as though it could pierce right through a person's soul.
"My deepest apologies, Head Captain! I was dealing with the trivial matter of my younger brother's enrollment and failed to welcome you in time!" Kaien knelt down, lowering his head, though his mind was racing.
Kuchiki, Shihoin, Tsunayashiro, plus the Shiba family he represented...
Four of the Five Noble Families were actually here!
This was definitely not an official meeting of Central 46, as there were no sages or judges present.
It appeared to be a private gathering among the nobles.
"Since everyone is here, I shall get straight to the point."
Head Captain Yamamoto's voice was deep and powerful. "Ukitake, can your body still hold up?"
Sitting to the side, Jushiro Ukitake coughed weakly twice, managing to squeeze out a faint smile on his pale face. "Thank you for your concern, sensei. Cough... my body can still endure."
The elder of the Tsunayashiro family let out a cold snort, his aged voice carrying an uncomfortable arrogance.
"Captain Ukitake, we are not here to discuss your illness. We are here to ask if the Thirteenth Division can hold up. We need to decide who will take 'that seat'."
"It has been a while since Isshin Shiba went missing," Head Captain Yamamoto said in a deep voice. "I sent people to the World of the Living to investigate, but they found neither hide nor hair of him... The Tenth Division Captain's seat cannot remain vacant forever."
Kaien's heart skipped a beat.
Isshin Shiba was his uncle from a branch family, a man with a personality even more erratic than his own, yet possessing immense strength.
"What does the Head Captain mean..." Ukitake asked tentatively.
The Tsunayashiro elder glanced at Kaien with dissatisfaction. "The Tenth Division is a crucial squad responsible for security and defense. It must have a successor who can control the situation and whose status satisfies all parties."
Byakuya Kuchiki spoke up at the right moment, his tone cold and clear. "As the head of the Shiba branch family, Isshin Shiba's unexplained disappearance during his tenure has already dealt a blow to the prestige of the nobility."
"The stance of the Kuchiki and Shihoin families is that since the seat was lost by the Shiba family, it should be reclaimed by the Shiba family."
Kaien was stunned and looked at Yushiro sitting opposite him.
Feeling Kaien's gaze, the young family head lowered his head somewhat awkwardly and added in a small voice, "Y-Yes, Vice Captain Kaien. My older sister used to say that the Shiba family's position in the Gotei 13 shouldn't be casually replaced by outsiders."
"This is also to... to maintain the balance among the nobles."
Kaien suddenly understood the true nature of this meeting and why these people had waited for him to arrive.
As an ancient family that had existed since the creation of the three realms, the Shiba family's attitude toward many matters had always kept the Seireitei at arm's length.
The Tsunayashiro family hoped to use this method to keep the Shiba family tied to the Gotei 13's war chariot, or at the very least, prevent them from completely siding with their opposition. After all, they also held many secrets regarding the structural mechanisms of the Seireitei...
The Kuchiki family was likely doing this to uphold their so-called rules and traditions, while the Shihoin family—or rather, Yushiro—was probably acting out of kindness, offering a form of protection to this special lineage.
They had bypassed Central 46, intending to set the tone directly from within.
"Kaien," Head Captain Yamamoto looked straight at him. "The name of the Shiba family must not be extinguished. You are the heir to the main Shiba family, and your strength is not weak. You are more than capable."
"The organization has decided! Are you willing to take Isshin Shiba's place and don that haori?"
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
Kaien was stunned. He subconsciously looked toward Jushiro Ukitake, who was sitting in the corner.
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